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Wednesday, September 12, 2012

LocoCycle: An Interview with Jay Stuckwisch from Twisted Pixel

First, it was about an alien named Frank and his weird, amorphous creature-buddy called the Maw. Then it was about an escaped science experiment who could make himself explode over and over again. From comic-jumping heroes to resurrected gun-fighters looking for revenge on the posse that killed him, the minds at Twisted Pixel have made a name for themselves with quirky, out-of-left-field stories and characters that all have just a touch of charm. And it has payed off, as the minds at Twisted Pixel are currently developing their sixth Xbox Live Arcade release, titled LocoCycle.

“Like most of our game ideas, it came from the mind of our Creative Director, Josh Bear” says Jay Stuckwisch in an interview. LocoCycle came to Bear after watching the movie Torque, a mediocre movie about underground motorcycle gangs and racers. “Josh woke up thinking about making a whole game based on dueling motorcycles. He came into the office the next day and told the crew, ‘We are making a game about fighting motorcycles.’”

And from there, the team was off and running. Featuring several elements from action, fighting and racing games, LocoCycle is about an experimental sentient bike I.R.I.S. capable of far more than just getting from A to B. According to the debut trailer released at E3 this past June, I.R.I.S. graduated valedictorian from the Big Arms Academy’s School of Assassination. For unknown reasons, she breaks free of the people that created her and is on the run, forcing the company to send a rival smart-bike S.P.I.K.E. after her.

“What we showed at PAX was a lot of action-based melee fighting and shooting with some racing elements mixed in” Stuckwisch commented regarding the main gameplay elements of LocoCycle. Though I.R.I.S. can operate without the need of a driver, recent gameplay trailers have shown a person attached to I.R.I.S., in many instances being dragged behind her as she (it?) rockets down the road. “The guy is her mechanic and he will play an important role in the game and story, but we’re not going into that too much right now.”

LocoCycle will also be Twisted Pixel’s first time utilizing voice acting from celebrities. Famous Teminator 2 bad guy Robert Patrick is voicing S.P.I.K.E. A long-time enthusiast of motorcycles, Patrick was quite happy to portray a talking one. Lisa Foiles will be providing the calculated, computerized voice of I.R.I.S., but fans of Twisted Pixel might recognize her as the narrator from their earlier successful game ‘Splosion Man.

“For some people it will definitely be “too odd” but we wouldn’t have it any other way. We want to make memorable games with personality, and LocoCycle has a lot of personality” Stuckwisch said.

Specific details are scarce at the moment, as the game is still early in the development cycle, but the developers are aiming for a 2013 release date exclusively on the XBox Live Arcade platform.